Look out In-N-Out, Five Guys are coming to town.

That is to say Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a restaurant chain that has made it’s way to the west coast, encroaching on territory that has for years been widely considered solely In-N-Outs.

Originally an east coast restaurant birthed out of Virginia, Five Guys has opened a restaurant in the Southbay Pavillion mall located in Carson.

With large servings of fries, big hamburgers, and gratuitous topping variety, Five Guys aims to carve out it’s own niche in the hamburger world by doing things a little differently.

Upon entrance into the pristine red and white restaurant, customers are greeted with a simple menu that consists of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and bacon cheeseburgers along with other items like hot dogs and fries.  What may be potentially misleading is the different between the “hamburger” and the “little hamburger,” with the normally-named burgers having two burger patties while items billed as “little” are just single patties.

What is perhaps most intriguing about the restaurant is it’s many toppings available to put on your burger, at no extra cost.  Unique toppings not typically seen at other casual burger restaurants include A-1 steak sauce, mushrooms, and hot sauce, but Five Guys also runs the gamut with your typical topping fare as well with mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, and ketchup.  Upon ordering one says what burger they want (be sure to order a “little” hamburger or cheeseburger if you want just one patty) and then says what toppings they want; the possibilities are endless.

Not all the toppings go so well on the burger, and if a customer were to order their burger “All the Way,” they would get every topping from a whole row of the available toppings on their burger, which ultimately is too much.  Mushrooms get lost in the mix and the combination of sauces usually don’t come through too well.

But the burger overall is fantastic: the meat is hearty and juicy and the right combination of toppings on your burger can make for a delicious meal.

Lastly, Five Guys offers fries both regular style and cajun style.  A large sign is tacked onto the wall of the restaurant displaying where the restaurant got it’s latest shipment of potatoes, and the restaurant takes it one step further by using the empty shipping boxes as decoration in the eating area.  The fries, served in heaping cups, are plentiful and delicious.

The big question obviously is if Five Guys is better than In-N-Out.  Why ask that question when you could instead revel in the fact that the South Bay has two fantastic burger places to enjoy.